Indian epics have been a rich source of inspiration for theatre and dance traditions of the country. Ram — the archetypal god-king and epic hero has often taken centre-stage — as in Kaash, a 55-minute dance and kathak production, presented by the British Council and HSBC on December 19 at Kala Mandir.

Choreographer Akram Khan, schooled in the kathak tradition in London, has transformed the classical style to a new-age form that is more dependent on physical skills and acrobatics than abhinaya — an integral part of all Indian classical dances.

Kaash, at its best, is an experimental mix of Hindu gods, Indian time cycles, concepts of creation and destruction and black holes, punctuated by spurts of alternating rhythms and long spans of silence that somewhat takes the audience by surprise.

Efforts to explore the complexities of the Anglo-Asian experience is enhanced by the lights and the sets by Aideen Malone and Anish Kapoor respectively. Costumes cling on to minimalistic trends, accentuating the physical suppleness of the dancers and the technicalities of form and structure of kathak. Some of the alankars and layakari of kathak were left unexplored by Khan. Instead, the mysteries of the spaces between musical phrases and the pockets of void in space itself were promoted to highlight the importance of an unseen and unfelt existence. This is where Khan needs to gr-aduate from the mere physicality of silence into its aesthetics.